The engine that powers Gothenburg. An overview of the 111 000 m² of floor surface area that is the Tuve plant, located in Gothenburg, Sweden. In 2011, 19 901 trucks were produced here. Another 10 214 complete truck kits (Knock Down), were packed into boxes and shipped to destinations like India, Thailand and South Africa, where they were built up on site.

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Taking stock. Marie Van Tuyl handles replenishment of some of the standard parts used for all trucks: screws, washers, nuts, hoses et cetera.

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Friendly carriers. Volvo invented these automated carriers used for material handling back in the mid-seventies. They are guided by magnetic coils in the floor and continuously receive updated orders from a computer, which in turn is fed with orders by the staff. The carriers are “polite”, they never collide and they wait for each other at crossings. Their load capacity is 1000 kilos.

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It begins with the smell of steel. Arriving by train from SSAB in Borlänge, Sweden, each coil of hot-rolled strip steel weighs 7-8000 kilos. One coil of raw material is used to produce about 50 frame members – the basic building block of a truck.

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A chassis is born. Using a cold rolling process, the steel coil is gradually bent into a U-shaped profile. The strip is cut off at the correct length for the Volvo Trucks FM and FH series produced at the Tuve plant.

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Full of holes. A chassis has between 160 and 400 holes, punched out using 65 tonnes of pressure. Larger holes are created using a plasma cutter, melting the steel with an electric arc. The frame members are stamped with a unique Vehicle Identification Number before going through a series of surface treatment steps and painting. Finally, the frame side fronts are bent in two stages to make space for the engine.

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At the Chassis line. Chassis building takes place on two lines, with 13 stations each. In the fixture, the sides are turned upside-down and rotated outward to make it easy to insert the cross-members.

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Riveting work. The sides are pressed together and riveting guns are used to create a solid frame. Pre-assembly work on items such as cross-members takes place between the chassis lines.

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On the clock. 9 minutes and 5 seconds, then the automatic carrier moves the chassis on to the next station. Time is counted down on a flat screen, also displaying the production goal for the day and what has been produced so far.

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Docking. At the first station of the final assembly factory, the propeller shaft is fitted. Then, at the next station, the frame and axle dock (shown). After the docking, the chassis are connected to the driven line. When producing 50 trucks per day on a line, the line moves at a pace of 1.46 m/minute. The operators follow the chassis for about 13 meters.

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It is all about people. Pande Belicovski and Daniella Aslam in action. Approximately 15 percent of the 1750 employees who work at the Tuve plant are women.

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Diesel power. The engines and gearboxes – delivered daily – are made in Skövde and Köping respectively. Filip Serti works with completing the engines according to the customer´s specifications.

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A happy marriage. The engine is lowered into the chassis at the engine marriage point. Precision is vital. There is only about 6-8 mm of clearance on either side.

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With a long journey ahead. This truck is bound for Japan. The Volvo Group employs some 120 000 people and sells its products in 180 countries.

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16 Different shades of white. Arriving by train from the factory in Umeå, the cabs come in a huge variety of colours, according to customer specifications. But white seems to be a favourite.

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Adding what makes a truck a truck. The final steps in the assembly process include fitting fuel tanks and batteries and calibrating the air suspension. Once Velibor Tomic has added the wheels it is time for function tests, test runs, final inspection and additional rust proofing.

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It takes about two days to build a truck, from frame member to finished product. During working hours, a new truck leaves the Tuve plant every four and a half minutes.

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A story in pictures from the Tuve plant

The Volvo Group Tuve plant is the beating heart of Gothenburg, Sweden. 1800 people spend their working day here, producing some of the finest trucks in the world – one every four and a half minutes.

During two days in March 2012, we documented the process of building a Volvo truck, from frame member to finished product.

Sweet memory for me..I had an opportunity to visit the plant at Gothenburg in 2006 which I’m that time was Vista Winner from Malaysia. When I saw the pictures above all the memory refresh again.. I’ll come again!

This story in pictures took me back to memories of last year when I visited plants in Skövde and Gothenburg. The texts along the photos are complementing each other. This is very good information for the people who did not got the chance to visit the plant. Added information for people who got the chance too…

It is truely amazing…!!! I had an opportunity to visit the plant at Gothenburg in the second week of March 2012 and before the sweet memories could fade I got an excellent revision with the help of photos.It gives a simple understanding of the very complex operations happening in the background.Moreover women working in a Manufacturing unit was some thing to be proud of.Also not to miss the very low noise levels with in the plant.
Thanks for posting..
Regards
Nagesh

This is a very good article with good explanations to complement the photos. As a new member to the Volvo family, im truly inspired by the process that goes into the manufacture of a Volvo Truck…Thanks..

For me, that I work here in Volvo do Brasil since 1979 and still do not know the Swedish plant, “A story in pictures” is much more interesting that only a story. It is to live a little bit more this fantastic company that I greatly admire.